poems about power

Sharing Economy

When asked what kind of
World we can build
For our workers, he answers
That we have a fundamental
Choice as to whether we
View employees as expendable
Nuisances that are only worth
Abusing and excluding from
The company’s success, or
Creating a climate where those
Who toil have the opportunity
To reap the rewards of their
Labor rather than handing it
To a few at the top,
A real sharing economy.

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They Mean Business

I try to tell him
They mean business,
That this faction is
Different, unable to feel
When someone is hurting,
Devoid of conscience,
Lusting for power.
He doesn’t listen,
They’ve gotten to that
Part inside him where
The nightmares live,
Making it easier for
Them to continue their
Savage conquest.

Chronic Pain

They’ve lost everything
And been told it’s the fault of
People who are not like them.
They revolt in anger,
Lashing out at a perceived
Enemy that doesn’t exist,
Ignoring the malefactors
In their midst, trying
To hurt someone back for
What they’ve endured,
Supporting opportunists
Promising to alleviate
Their chronic pain,
Misinterpreting who really
Did this to them.

Authority and Power

He still remembers the
Dark outline above him,
His mother by the door,
As he was mercilessly
Lashed for some minor,
Random infraction.

Barely making it through
High school, too many
Anxieties roiling through
His mind, he vows to
Do something so others don’t
Have to go through what he did.

He follows a career path that
Puts him in a position of
Authority and power; he feels
It course through his system,
The ability to control others,
Punish with impunity.

Failed State

It’s not so hard to become a
Failed state, just make sure
That those who are in power
Don’t care a whit for the
Most vulnerable in society or
Anyone who didn’t have the
Benefit of being born into
Privilege. Systematically
Weaken vital institutions
That actually help regular
People and then screech about
How government doesn’t work.
Do everything in your power
To make sure nothing functions
For anyone but the rich and
That the less fortunate are
Methodically expressed like
Ripe grapes, their juices
Flowing into bulging coffers
While smug swindlers fly to
Some far-away vacation paradise.

Preventable Tragedy

Another preventable tragedy
Shocks decency, and they all
Stand around, hands sullied,
Complicit in this constant
Violence they pretend is
Senseless but that has
Deep roots in their soiled
Thoughts and actions,
Damaged psyches unhealed,
Aggressive greed,
Retention of power
More important than
The lives of human beings.

Rightfully

Awful people covering
For others like them,
A putrid syndicate of
Craven aristocrats,
Defending what they’ve
Always been told is
Rightfully theirs.

Traditional Nonsense

It’s not out of the question
To envision our world as a
Place where human beings care for
Instead of kill each other,
Though certain misanthropes
Who profit from misery
Would certainly disagree,
All that is required is
Treating all people
As the rare and valuable
Gifts they are and letting go of
The traditional nonsense about
Being somehow different or
In competition with one another.

Their Support

The depths of their
Depravity is predictably
Revealed—they never really
Cared for anyone but themselves
And their own kind but always
Tried to put some kind of
Benevolent face on it.
They show their support for
A dictator in waiting,
Someone who makes their
Broken psyches throb with delight.